Safi Airways Co. (; ) was the first and largest privately owned airline in Afghanistan. The airline had its headquarters in Shahr-e-Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan, and an administrative office in the Dubai Airport Free Zone. The Afghan authorities ordered suspension of its operations in September 2016, after the airline failed to clear outstanding debt and taxes.
History
Safi Airways has been founded as a subsidiary of the Safi Group and in 2006 by its chairman and CEO, Ghulam Hazrat Safi. On 15 June 2009, Safi Airways commenced operations between the Afghan capital, Kabul, and Frankfurt Airport, Germany. This service was however suspended on 24 November 2010 due to an EU ban barring all Afghan carriers from flying into Europespiegel.de – "EU places Afghan airlines on blacklist" (German) 22 November 2011 and did since never resume.
On 5 November 2009, Safi Airways took delivery of a pre-owned Airbus A340-300, which was phased out after suspension of the Frankfurt route due to the EU ban. In 2011, Safi Airways replaced their Boeing 737-300 aircraft with Airbus A32x aircraft. They intended to acquire an Airbus A330 for long haul routes in 2016 which however did not take place.
Since February 2012, Safi Airways is the first Afghan airline to operate in compliance with European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements, IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) and ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).Contact Info
On 5 September 2016, Afghan authorities forced Safi Airways to suspend all operations over unpaid debt and taxes.reuters.com – Afghan carrier Safi Airways grounded over debts 5 September 2016
Destinations As of September 2018, Safi Airways served the following destinations:
CountryCityAirportNotesRefAfghanistanBagramBagram AirfieldAfghanistanHeratHerat International AirportsuspendedAfghanistanKabulHamid Karzai International AirportAfghanistanBalkhMaulana Jalaluddin Balkhi International AirportsuspendedAfghanistanKandaharKandahar International AirportsuspendedBahrainManamaBahrain International AirportCanadaTorontoToronto Pearson International AirportGermanyFrankfurtFrankfurt AirportGermanyCologne/BonnCologne Bonn AirportGermanyHamburgHamburg International AirportIndiaDelhiIndira Gandhi International AirportsuspendedIndiaHyderabadRajiv Gandhi International AirportIranTehranMehrabad International AirportIranMashhadMashhad International AirportsuspendedKuwaitKuwait CityKuwait International AirportPakistanIslamabadIslamabad International AirportsuspendedPakistanKarachiKarachi International AirportSaudi ArabiaJeddahKing Abdulaziz International AirportsuspendedUnited Arab EmiratesAbu DhabiAbu Dhabi International AirportUnited Arab EmiratesDubaiDubai International AirportsuspendedUnited Arab EmiratesSharjahSharjah International Airport
Fleet Final fleet
As of October 2016, the Safi Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
+ Safi Airways FleetAircraftIn FleetOrdersPassengersNotes J Y TotalAirbus A320-2008—12132144Boeing 767-200ER7—12196208storedTotal150
Former fleet Safi Airways previously operated the following aircraft:
+AircraftIntroducedRetiredNotesAirbus A319-100Safi ends A319 operations20132017Airbus A340-30020092015Boeing 737-30020082017Boeing 737-40020162018Boeing 757-20020122018Airbus A330-20020172018Airbus A340-60020172018Boeing 777-30020172018 McDonnell Douglas MD-87Afghanistan's Safi Airways Leasing an MD-8720172017Leased from Gryphon Airlines
References
External links
Official website